The present invention is directed to a pipe fitting, and, more specifically, to a fire sprinkler piping system fitting.
Many buildings are required by code to have sprinklers at various locations in different rooms or areas. Compliance with such requirements can require an extensive amount of piping through various walls of the structure in order to provide the necessary water to the sprinklers. Conventionally, flow dividers are used to divide a supply of water into various secondary piping channels that guide the water to specific sprinkler heads.
What is needed, but so far not provided by the conventional art, is a fire sprinkler piping system fitting capable of supporting two sprinkler heads, each protruding into a separate room or area of a building, without requiring any additional piping between the fitting and the sprinkler heads.
The present invention is directed to a fire sprinkler piping system fitting including a polymeric body having at least a first tubular branch, a second tubular branch, and a third tubular branch. Each of the first, second and third tubular branches extend outwardly from a common junction. The first and second tubular branches are collinear and the third tubular branch is generally perpendicular to the first and second tubular branches. Each of the first, second and third tubular branches have a distal end opposite from the common junction. The fitting includes pair of internally threaded metal inserts. Each insert is at least partially molded into the distal end of a separate one of the first and second tubular branches. Each of the internally threaded inserts has a distal outer surface facing generally away from the common junction. The distal outer surfaces of the pair of internally threaded metal inserts is spaced apart a distance of between three inches and four inches. The distal end of the third tubular branch has a smooth internal bore to slidingly receive a smooth outer end of a length of pipe.